1. Field of the Invention
The disclosed subject matter relates generally to computing systems and, more particularly, to controlling the orientation of a device display based on usage context.
2. Description of the Related Art
Handheld computing devices, such as mobile phones and tablets typically control the orientation of the data displayed on a screen of the device based upon how a user is holding the device. An orientation sensor measures the position of the device relative to the earth and changes the display orientation in response to the user rotating the device. In general, the orientation sensor may be implemented using a virtual sensor that receives information from a physical sensor and uses that information to determine the position of the device. The orientation sensor may determine the position in a plane essentially perpendicular to the earth's surface (i.e., a vertical plane) or a plane essentially parallel to the earth's surface (i.e., a horizontal plane). Consider a mobile device having a generally rectangular shape with long and short axes. If the user is holding the device such that the long axis is generally perpendicular to the earth, the display orientation is set to portrait mode. If the user rotates the device such that the long axis is orientated generally parallel to the earth (i.e., holds the device sideways), the orientation sensor detects the changed position and automatically changes the display orientation so that the data is displayed in landscape mode. This process is commonly referred to as auto-rotate mode.
Because the earth is used as a reference, with the auto-rotate feature enabled, the device may change the orientation of the data unexpectedly and inconveniently for the user under certain conditions. There are instances when the user is holding the device at an angle without wanting the display orientation to rotate. For example, consider a user reclining on a couch with the device attempting to view the display in portrait orientation. The device is aligned to the user in portrait mode relative to the user's face, but relative to the earth reference, the device is sensed as being held at a 45° angle. Because, the orientation sensor and the auto-rotate logic determine the angular position of the device relative to the ground, the device may automatically change the display orientation to landscape mode, which is actually not aligned with the user's face. In response, the user typically rotates the device to attempt to force the device to change back to the desired portrait mode. The user may have to repeat the process of rotating the device to get the desired orientation and find a position for holding the device that does not trigger the auto-rotation. This situation is inconvenient for the user and may reduce the quality of the usage experience.
The present disclosure is directed to various methods and devices that may solve or at least reduce some of the problems identified above.
While the subject matter disclosed herein is susceptible to various modifications and alternative forms, specific embodiments thereof have been shown by way of example in the drawings and are herein described in detail. It should be understood, however, that the description herein of specific embodiments is not intended to limit the invention to the particular forms disclosed, but on the contrary, the intention is to cover all modifications, equivalents, and alternatives falling within the spirit and scope of the invention as defined by the appended claims.